PRITAM SENGUPTA writes from New Delhi: The following few paragraphs appear in a larger story on drunken driving and new year revelry in the Delhi Newsline supplement of the Indian Express today:

Like every Delhiite, Monday was not just another night for Amar Kumar. The icecream vendor from Kalyanpuri was tugging his cart towards India Gate just past midnight. He had done good business in Connaught Place and wanted to sell some more at the popular roundabout in the Capital’s heart before calling it a day.

India Gate at the time was full of revellers on the New Year’s Eve.

But life changed for the 30-year-old’s family in a flash, just past the magic hour: he had just reached the roundabout of Jaswant Singh Road when, witnesses have told the police, a Maruti Wagon R zoomed in from the Parliament Street side. And in that same, extended flash, it hit Kumar. The collision, witnesses said, was so violent that Kumar flew to the other end of the road, and the car thudded to a stop after hitting the pavement.

The accused, Neelu Ranjan, identified himself as a senior reporter with Aaj Tak news channel, the police said. He was returning from the New Year’s bash at the Press Club of India and was pretty much inebriated by that time, police officials said.

Witnesses have told the police that Ranjan was not even able to stand properly when he came out of the car after the fatal collision. As people gathered to collar him, a heated argument ensued. Ranjan, reportedly with Aaj Tak’s special investigation team (SIT), then took Kumar to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in his car. But the 30-year-old was declared dead when brought to the hospital; doctors said he died due to injury on head.

A case for causing death due to rash and negligent driving was registered against Ranjan at Parliament Street police station. He was arrested, and came out on bail on Tuesday morning. “The driver was drunk; his vehicle has been impounded,” said I.B. Rani, additional DCP, New Delhi.

An accident is an accident, and even media persons are not immune from them. But will dog bite dog? Not for our TV channels.

More than a day after the accident, and several hours after the perpetrator was released, no media organisation has, as yet, reported the tragedy caused by one of their own. Any wonder why public cynicism of the media is growing?

Certainly, a journo behind a Wagon R is not as rich as a businessman’s son like Alistair Pereira behind a Toyota Corolla, when he mowed down seven persons, most of them migrant workers from Karnataka, in Bombay.

Still, surely, there cannot be one set of rules for mediapersons, and another for whom they cover? Unlike his illustrious predecessors, at least Neelu Ranjan had the courtesy to take his victim to hospital, but…

Will Aaj Tak‘s anchors be shouting at the top of their voice about drunken driving tonight?

Will NDTV be covering the story as furiously as it has Sanjeev Nanda‘s BMW hit-and-run case?

Will CNN-IBN do the story, considering that Ranjan was employee of IBN7, the Hindi channel owned by Tv 18?

Will the law be allowed to its course without powerful publishers and anchors making their famous phone calls?

15 comments

I find many journalists think and behave in a manner that they are the above the law and a mere dropping of word ‘Press’ is enough to ward off cops, get favours, enjoy privileges, have easy access to diff places, offices etc.. Dont you see “Press” sticker on their bikes and cars written in big, bold font ? That is perhaps their way of saying “Lay Off”

Coming to the Neelu incident, i dont think AajTak or any other main stream media will have the guts to shame or flog the guy..afterall, he is one their biradari

It is a manslaughter pure and simple. In many countries it is a non-bailable offence. In Singapore it carries capital punishment. I would cane the bastard first and send him to a cell to stay inside for life. Indian media is pathetic.

Loss of life is loss of life and regrettable no matter whose life it is. But I am not sorry that Hoysala is not going to be judge of record in the case. There can be no excuse for the reporter’s irresponsible driving, but he had the decency to take the victim to hospital.

Probably this would not have happened if the infrastructure was good!! Who’s responsible for that???? Target people responsible for this kind of pathetic infrastructure that leads to such accidents everyday..

Looks like a party of imbeciles. The accused moron, who was not able to stand on his feet, was allowed to transport the injured ? Before we talk of the accused’s decency in ferrying the victim, we need to re-read that he was collared ; hence the act of taking the victim to the hospital. If he had half the brains of a bird, he would not be driving when so badly intoxicated.

I too condone the mob mentality and the vigilante justice — I am pained to see it unfurl it’s ugly head more frequently these days . But more than anything, it begs to be examined as to why it is on the rise. There’s only so much people will stomach ; sooner or later, it touches them at a personal level and, some, will resort to unlawful means.

‘One is innocent until one is proved guilty’. — Right. But when the proving is a never ending nightmare filled with emptied finances, blatant threats and, in the end, triumph of money and mockery of justice, you cannot blame people for losing faith.

I rarely watch TV, for it is unmitigated punishment. I will make a point to see how TV 9 deals with violence. Thank you.

Kannada newspapers, especially Sanjevani, are gulty of mindlessly promoting mob justice. In news stories I frequently come upon sentences like, “Saarvajanikara aaropiyannu higga mugga thalisi poleesara vashakke kottaru;” “kalla dharmadetu thinda.” It is some comfort, however cold and strange that word is in this context, that the police got to the current sensation in crime, Mallika, before the public did.

Violence is becoming a primary feature of our life. We seem to be prehistoricising our attitude when even Medha Patkar gets roughed up in our country. I dread to think of the impending violence that is biding its time until the elections in Karnataka. Siddharamayya has already given the green signal for the train to chug on.

I am tempted to speak of intellectual violence and such. Oh, well, it can wait.

If four wheelers driven by celebrities and politicians and now media men are a menace in Delhi/Mumbai, we have their counterparts in Bangalore. They are two wheeler drivers. Bike riders almost make it a point these days to drive on footpath in traffic ridden roads of Bangalore. We recently lost if we remember, aging painter from Banglore, Balu.